The area of personal injury law has expanded since the introduction of no win no fee arrangements.

Simply put, under such an arrangement, anyone who has suffered an injury through no fault of their own can seek to claim against the person(s) responsible. Access to justice has been opened up, as anyone with a valid claim can now apply to the courts for recompense for injuries sustained as a result of another's actions.

One of the most frequently asked questions is "how much compensation will I get?" but there is no easy answer to such a question. The amount of compensation payable varies from case to case, but as a general rule, similar cases attract similar compensation payouts. Compensation amounts for medical negligence will not be treated the same as compensation amounts for car accident victims, for example. Medical compensation amounts have, traditionally, been among some of the highest awards given, but again, this is wholly dependant on the facts of the case. The reason that such high amounts tend to be awarded in cases of medical negligence is that the consequences of the negligence in question tend to have a far-reaching effect on the claimant's life.

Generally speaking, the more moderate the injury, the smaller the amount of compensation will be awarded.

A case of minor whiplash, for example, where the pain consisted of minor neck pain lasting less than a year, could expect to be awarded between £850 - £2,500. Severe whiplash where the spinal cord is permanently damaged, however, could result in compensation around £95,000. Medical negligence claims can result from many different areas of medicine and the amounts awarded are equally variable. Loss of a healthy kidney to a surgical mistake could attract an award of around £25,000, whereas severe brain damage resulting from, for example, an ambulance taking too long to arrive to aid an asthma sufferer, could attract an award of up to £185,000.

No Win No Fee

Medical compensation amounts take into account the pain and suffering, including psychological suffering, that the claimant has been left with, as well as certain expenses incurred as a direct result of the negligent act or omission. Due to the complexity of such cases, it is very important that the no win no fee solicitor that deals with your claim is an expert in their field. Always check that your solicitor is fully qualified and has dealt with similar claims in the past. That way you can be assured that your claim will be dealt with in a timely and professional manner.